Reese Witherspoon's recent arrest for disorderly conduct illustrates the need to properly behave when you are a passenger in a vehicle stopped by the police. Obviously, only the driver can be charged with DUI or a traffic violation, but quite frequently, passengers will end up being charged with offenses as well. Yet a lot of these charges could have been prevented, had the passengers done the right thing, or perhaps more correctly stated, not done the wring thing. Sometimes, the cops force the issue, while other times, such as in Ms. Witherspoon's case, the passenger brings about her own misfortune.
DUI and Traffic Stops: What Passengers Need to Know
Search and Seizure: Beware of the Enemy Within
It's a simple scenario, which happens more often than people realize. A man and a woman live together and are in love. The man enjoys smoking marijuana or using some other drug. Maybe he even grows his own plants or maybe he sells it too. Of course, the woman partakes as well, and she might even help take care of the plants or serve customers when the man is not around. The man does something to greatly anger the woman, such as cheating on her. Suddenly, the woman is no longer cool with her now ex-boyfriend's hobby or business.
What is Drug Paraphernalia under Pennsylvania Law?
In Pennsylvania, charges of drug paraphernalia and small amount of marijuana go together like peanut butter and jelly. It is easy to understand that a "small amount of marijuana" is less than 30 grams of any parts of the cannabis plant, but what exactly drug paraphernalia means is not readily apparent.
Marijuana Cake Accidentally Eaten by a Police Chief
The cake wasn't the only thing baked, when Laurelville, Ohio Police Chief Mike Berkemeier accidentally ate a space cake on Easter morning. Actually, he did not stop at a mere slice, but ate the whole thing. Soon thereafter, he started to feel sick. While in the hospital, the chief's daughter called to say that the her father had accidentally eaten a cake laced with cannabis oil, a marijuana plant extract. Of course, the daughter's "friend" had dropped off the cake.
Drug Posession: When to Grant or Deny Consent to a Search
The plight of championship-winning Boiling Springs wrestling coach Rod Wright serves as a perfect example of why it is often not in your best interests to consent to a search by police. On January 14, 2013, police received an anonymous tip that Wright had drug paraphernalia in his home. The police went to Wright's home and asked for permission to enter the home and look around. Wright was not present, but someone else consented to a search, and, lo and behold, the police found drug paraphernalia.
Defenses For Drug Possession Charges in Pennsylvania
Today's blog spot is by Adam Rosenblum, a criminal defense attorney practicing in New Jersey and New York City.
In Drug Cases, The First to Squeal Gets the Deal
A lot of people assume that in drug cases, the big fish get the stiffest sentences, while the least culpable receive the most lenient sentences. In a perfectly fair and just world, that would be the case, but that is not the reality of the American justice system. In actuality, the first to squeal usually gets the best deal.
Prescription Drug Fraud: The "White Collar Crime" of the Drug World
A recent bust of a South Central Pennsylvania prescription drug ring by the Pennsylvania Attorney General's Office is a perfect illustration of why prescription drug fraud is the "white collar crime" of the drug world. Prescription drug fraud often involves active participation by someone in the medical field, such as a physician, nurse or pharmacist, as they are the ones with legal access to prescription drugs. Street drugs like heroin, meth and cocaine, on the other hand, are primarily distributed by either traditional criminals in it for fast money, or pathetic addicts trying to finance their own addictions.
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